Meet Charlie, She loves sleeping, eating (anything and everything), chasing the ball, snuggling up to her mummy and daddy, and she makes the cutest barks in her sleep. 

I'm sure people roll their eyes when they see dog carers like me, who have about 1000 photos of their furry friend, a screen saver, a phone screen saver, photos on the fridge, a Facebook profile pic- all of their beloved companion. But the connection between a person and their companion is something that only the two can understand.

Paul routinely rolls his eyes, and complains that "you two are exactly the same!" when we are in a huff, are curled up on the couch together, when I share my toast/smoothie/fruit salad with her and when I can't bear to be away from her for more than a night. 

Charlie's story wasn't always a pleasant one. I rescued her from the RSPCA, and she was surrendered by her former humans- who had a Rottweiler and 'no time to look after her'. Charlie is a Labrador x German short haired pointer, and when I rescued her, she was severely underweight, and scared. I remember Charlie's look of fear as the lady from the pound opened up the door. I sat on the cold ground for a few minutes near her, just so she could relax, then she came over to me slowly, with her tail between her legs and her ears flopped. 

She absolutely broke my heart, and it still makes me so upset to know that she was 3 days from death. 3 awful days, wondering where her humans had gone, and what had she done wrong? 

The look of pure joy and relief as we drove away was priceless. I wanted everything perfect for her. I had a weeks worth of food (which she ate in 3 days!), a brand new top-of the range kennel, toys, balls, a gorgeous coat for her, homemade doggy treats and I had done as much reading about the breeds as I could. I also had 'Calm and Clear' Bushflower Essences on hand as I have had some amazing results using them. She was terrified of our garage door, the broom, the vacuum cleaner and any loud noises. It took about 2 months before she was used to all of the sounds here, but she still hates the broom. 

She is the best thing in my day- coming home to her is like heaven. Paul and I are both lucky enough to have home offices, but when we are on the road, we count down the minutes until we can see her again. She had bought peace, love and sheer joy with her- and has helped me connect with things I had forgotten and talents that I didn't know I had. She truly chose me that day. 

Another woman that I am blown away by, is Billie Dean. 

Billie's name is mentioned in a lot of the animal welfare groups I am a part of, and the further the Vegie Head journey takes me, the more I felt the need to connect with her. A good friend of mine, Jayne, is currently studying Billie Deans' 'Animal Shamanism' online course, and cannot stop raving about it. Billie wants to encourage people to come to the website for educating themselves through stories, articles, e-books, vegan resources and film and cd's - which supports both the animals she cares for and also her wider vision of Deep Peace for All Species. 

Billie is also an accomplished journalist and film maker, and has written some truly beautiful articles about animal healing, ancient wisdom, and the soul. You can also receive a free-ebook, called '10 Secrets The Animals Want You To Know' just by subscribing to the website (I have my copy, and it is really incredible).

She truly is an inspiration, and I encourage you all to head to her website and help her cause. 

One of the Secrets (I'm sure she won't mind me sharing this, as it is relevant), is that 'Animals are Angels without wings'. I truly believe that the kindness in animals is what we need in our lives. All I know, is that I went to the pound looking for a companion, and I ended up leaving with a soulmate.